Amarna letter EA 252

Amarna letter EA 252, titled: Sparing One's Enemies,[1] is a square, mostly flat clay tablet letter written on both sides, and the bottom edge.

The letter contains 14 (15) lines on the obverse, continuing on the bottom tablet edge to conclude at line 31 on the reverse, leaving a small space before the final tablet edge.

Letter EA 252 is authored by Labaya, by the 'Man, city-state' (of) Šakmu (Shechem today), and written to the Pharaoh.

The initial corpus of letters were found at Akhenaten's city Akhetaten (Amarna), in the floor of the Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh; others were later found, adding to the body of letters.

The topic of the letter is Labaya's defense against other governors of city-states that he is engaged with.

A town and statue were taken, and he defends his then follow-up actions of pursuit, to the pharaoh's commissioner.

Directly next, an allegory, lines 16–19, follows concerning "a pinched ant-defending itself".

Labaya then explains his justification for pursuing the men in warfare (Akkadian nukurtu, nu-KÚR-te, (last syllable most variable in spellings)),[2] and the events to follow.

II of III)-i-nu-ma šap-ra-ta ___enūma, – šapāru[6] ___Now(at this time), – (you) messaged(wrote): 6.a-na ia-a-ši ú-ṣur-mì ___ana iāši, — Quotenaṣāru — !!

segue 8.ki-i uṣ-ṣur-ru-na _LÚ-MEŠ_ ___Quotekī naṣāru ___ QuoteHow to guard (the) menpl.

segue 10.ki it-mi ša-li-mì ù ki it-mì it-ta#-mì ___ Quote-#2kī tamû[7] šalāmu ___ Quote-#2How to swear peace 10.6--------------ù ki it-mì it-ta#-mì ((IRI)) ___-----------------u kī tamû[7] ta#mû[7] (_URU_) — ?

segue 23.Ša-ni-tam šum-ma ti-qa-bu ___Šanitam, — šumma qabû ___Furthermore, — when(if) (you) say 24.ap-pu-na-ma ___ap-pu-na-ma (pānu, ?come face) ___Quote"come forward" ((and)) 25.nu-pu-ul-mì ___napālu[10] — !

28.i-pé-<šu>-ú-ṣur-ru-na 29.LÚ-meš ša ṣa-ab-tu4 _IRI_ <ù> ___LÚmeš ṣabātu URU ___(the) menpl.

segue 30.i-li šu-ṣú-mì[11] a-bi-ia ___ilu, — ezēzu abu-ia ___[(the) god(s) ((listened))], — defilers (of) Father-mine 31.ù ú-ṣur-ru : (–gl–) šu-nu ___u, – ezēru : (–gl–) šunu(=them) — !